Plan a Badass New Orleans Bachelor Party (2021 Guide)
New Orleans is a gem of the south, known for its nightlife and culture. Plan your bachelor party in New Orleans for the perfect combination of crazy party life, delicious food, and plenty of things to do while you recover from your hangover.
Your New Orleans bachelor party will be one you hope to remember with southern-style hospitality. It’s easy to have a great time since everything is easy to get to – you won’t miss out on anything when you party here.
We’ll cover all of the best bachelor party ideas in New Orleans, from the nightlife to the food, to where you’ll find the best accommodations. Use our guide when planning your New Orleans bachelor party, and you’ll be a Bourbon Street legend when it’s all said and done.
Things to do in New Orleans during the day
You’ll be glad that you decided to host your bachelor party in New Orleans the moment you lay eyes on the city. The historic town has lots of unique architecture, intimate streets, and the mighty Mississippi River to explore.
The nightlife in New Orleans can get extremely crazy, so you can spend the daytime in the city recovering from the night before.
Some of the best New Orleans bachelor party ideas for the daytime are:
- Explore the French Quarter
- Take a steamboat river tour
- Listen to live music performances
- Experience Mardi Gras
- Attend a sports game
Explore the French Quarter
The French Quarter is to most iconic place in New Orleans – you’ll definitely be seeing a lot of the quarter in both the daytime and night. Most people know the French Quarter for being the center of nightlife in New Orleans, but there’s plenty of fun to enjoy during the day. Tour the area with your groom hat and groom sash and enjoy the sights.
For starters, it’s the oldest district in New Orleans, so you’ll be walking the streets lined with historic architecture. The entire neighborhood is a National Historic Landmark.
Enjoy the city vibes at Jackson Square, a central location of the French Quarter with a lot of locals hanging out, vendors selling souvenirs, and street entertainment. Grab a drink and walk the streets where it seems to be a party even during the day.
Take a steamboat river tour
New Orleans is situated along the Mississippi River – it’s popular for steamboat tours of the city. Climb aboard one of the historic steamboats and cruise down the river with magnificent sights of the New Orleans skyline and learn about the city’s history.
The steamboats offer a variety of experiences for tourists, including dining on board, checking out the steam room, and even live music.
Listen to live music performances
The atmosphere is New Orleans is filled with music, especially when walking around the French Quarter. Since it’s hard to avoid it, you may as well add live music to your bachelor party itinerary and check out the local talent.
Jazz music is a staple in the New Orleans culture, so there are always jazz performances happening around town. Some of the best places to find live music shows are in the French Quarter or at Frenchmen Street.
Depending on when you visit, you might even come across a jazz music festival happening – these are definitely worth checking out to enjoy a combination of great music and excellent food.
Experience Mardi Gras
Speaking of festivals, Mardi Gras is world-famous and hosted annually in New Orleans, typically in February. Mardi Gras is one of the best festivals in the world where the streets are filled with costumes, floats, and people ready to party. The city-wide festival is a must-see if you get the chance to.
If you can’t plan your bachelor party during Mardi Gras, you should take some time to experience the remnants of the festival. The city hosts a major Carnival a couple of weeks before Mardi Gras, or you can check out Mardi Gras World for exhibitions about the festival and see where the iconic floats get made.
Attend a Sports Game
Whether you’re a fan of one of the local sports teams or not, attending a sporting event in New Orleans is still something to do. The major teams in New Orleans include the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
Each of these teams is a high performer in their respective sports, so you’ll get high energy from the fans at the games. You’ll also get a chance to hang out in the legendary Mercedes-Benz Superdome or the Smoothie King Center.
What could be better than live sports and drinks at the game?
Best Nightlife in New Orleans
There’s only one place to consider for nightlife when you have a bachelor party in New Orleans – the French Quarter. The French Quarter is a legendary destination for high-energy nightlife where tourists and locals gather together for an awesome night out.
You’ll find most of the best nightlife venues in New Orleans throughout the French Quarter and, more specifically, along the Bourbon Street strip. Bourbon Street gives you 13 blocks of nonstop partying from the best bars and nightclubs in town.
Here are some bachelor party ideas to get shitfaced in New Orleans.
Best bars on Bourbon Street
Partying in the French Quarter is like no other place in the world – you’ll be surrounded by historical architecture with two- and three-story buildings – people can be seen on balconies from either side enjoying drinks, great company, and lively music. The entire atmosphere is ideal for a great night out.
You’ll be surprised to find that there are world-famous drinks served at the bars in the French Quarter. To discover the signature favorites, visit:
The first iconic drink to try in the French Quarter is called the Hurricane, originally crafted by Pat O’Briens. Pat O’Briens is on Bourbon Street, where the Hurricane is the most ordered drink at the bar. You can enjoy the delicious mix of passion fruit, lime, and rum from the outdoor patio while watching the street fill up as the night progresses.
The next iconic drink you need to try in the French Quarter is the hand grenade. It’s easy to spot people along Bourbon Street with the hand grenade, served in large green cups that people take with them out onto the streets.
You can find the Hand Grenade drink at Tropical Isle, which has multiple locations, including one on Bourbon Street. The tasty blend of liquors can be enjoyed frozen or regular and will get the job done by the time it’s finished.
Best Clubs on Bourbon Street
The bars are an excellent place to find some great drink options, but Bourbon Street also has several club venues for continuing the party. You’ll have a great time during your bachelor party just walking in between places – choose a night to wear matching bachelor party shirts and get prepared for a lot of action on the streets.
After some outdoor fun, check out some of the club action at these spots:
As their names suggest, both of these venues are on Bourbon Street, making it convenient to club hop to experience them both. Beach on Bourbon has a packed house every night where you can enjoy live music and endless dancing.
Head over to The Swamp to enjoy some of their drink specials and enjoy the street sights from the wrap-around balcony. Where you’re drunk enough, go downstairs and see how long the groom can last on the mechanical bull.
You’ll have plenty of fun at both of these venues and the perfect crowds to enjoy the experience with.
Best Foods to try in New Orleans
New Orleans is famous for a lot of things, with food being among the top. There’s lots of signature foods that you must try when you visit New Orleans.
Most people might search for the best restaurants to eat at in New Orleans, but if you’re familiar with the city, you’ll know that you should instead look for the best places to find the signature dishes.
There’s plenty of specialty foods to try in New Orleans, and you’ll be more than satisfied as you continue the day drinking.
Some of the iconic New Orleans foods to try during your bachelor party include:
- Po’boys
- Gumbo
- Beignet
- Crawfish/seafood
The po’boy is a traditional sandwich that originated in Louisiana – popular styles of the sandwich consist of either roast beef or catfish on French bread with other toppings. Be sure to visit NOLA PoBoys for the best po’boy in New Orleans.
NOLA Poboys is on Bourbon street amidst all the action, so it’s easy to find while partying on the strip. The restaurant has more than 45 varieties of the sandwich so everyone in your party group will find something they like, especially if you like spicy food. Compliment the sandwich with their signature red beans and rice side.
New Orleans is also famous for gumbo – prepare to taste some of the best gumbo in the world during your bachelor party. Gumbo Shop is a local favorite for finding authentic gumbo served the way it should be – very spicy on delicious rice. Order it with seafood or other meat combinations. Their restaurant also has lots of other Creole food to try.
You’ll quickly notice the significant French influence throughout the city. From the architecture to the food, New Orleans preserved all the best parts of the heritage for you to enjoy. Stop by Café Du Monde French Market for breakfast to taste the iconic beignet – a delicious, powdery pastry.
The café is a staple in New Orleans, serving authentic French favorites since the mid-1800s. And the best part is that it’s open 24-hours in case you find yourself out partying until the sun rises.
New Orleans is a hub for fresh seafood, and many people make it a mission to find the best crawfish in town. Cross off New Orleans-style crawfish from your bucket list when you visit the Oceana Grill. Feast on the best crawfish you’ll ever taste, along with their seafood favorites from the outdoor courtyard dining area. Consider it for the setting to make a toast, take group photos, and give out some bachelor party gifts to the groom.
Where to Stay in New Orleans?
Based on the top things to do in New Orleans and where you’ll find most of the nightlife action, you’ll definitely want to make reservations to stay at accommodation in the French Quarter.
The French Quarter is the most popular tourist location in the city, and you’ll find plenty of hotels to book – hopefully, one able to sustain your bachelor party festivities. As it’s a historic district, you’ll find a refreshing mix of modern hotels next to hotels established in historical buildings.
There are plenty of top name brand hotels in the French Quarter, like the Holiday Inn or the Crowne Plaza. For a unique stay, check out some of the heritage hotels such as the Andrew Jackson Hotel or Hotel St. Pierre. The heritage hotels give you an authentic stay, and some rooms might even hold secrets.
The one downside to staying in hotels is being mindful about their noise policies. If you’re visiting New Orleans for your bachelor party, you should already expect to get a noise violation – or two – if you did the party right.
If you want to avoid the issue, consider booking a stay at a nearby Airbnb house rental. You can have the whole place for your group when you somewhere like here or here, and it’s still easy to access the nightlife and day time fun in the French Quarter. There's lots of space to store your bachelor party supplies and put up bachelor party decorations for your favorite theme.
Best time to visit New Orleans for your bachelor party
New Orleans is in the southern US, so it has excellent weather all year-round, even during the winter months. The summertime is always a good time to catch a lot of the local music festivals and beautiful weather for hanging outdoors in the French Quarter.
To have the craziest bachelor party in New Orleans, visit during February to coincide with Mardi Gras or Carnival. Over a million people visit New Orleans to attend the Mardi Gras parade, and there’s endless parties during the night.
New Orleans Bachelor Party rating – 5 out of 5
New Orleans is already known for being a party center – factor in the excitement of a bachelor party, and you’re in for a wild ride. Having a bachelor party in New Orleans is a recipe for a good time both day and night.
New Orleans deserves a five-star rating for bachelor parties because of all the great bachelor party ideas to have a good time. Bourbon Street in the French Quarter is where most of the party action happens. Take a simple walk down the street at any time of the day, and you’ll find everything you’re looking for, from drinks to music to girls. It's the perfect city to show off your bachelor party supplies like a groom hat or groom sash in public.
Plan your bachelor party in New Orleans, and hopefully, you’ll remember the crazy nights to tell about it.
